The Next Greap Leap Backwards
I'd like to pick up where I left off and continue to denigrate the Chinese. God knows, they deserve it. But I also want to at least pay lip service (a term that has always mystified) to the principle of fairness. So let's talk about how fucking clever they are. No easy feat getting the entire world to kiss your ass, but the Chinese are able to pull it off. That's because on most computer demographic models the Chinese population shows up as two billion dollar signs. That translates into a lot of sucking up that needs to be done. That's a lot of potential customers, my friends. Potential being the operative world. 90% of the Chinese population lives in conditions which make American style poverty look like an elitist joy ride. Think of it. As China patiently and insidiously cooks up complicated plans to take over the planet, there are millions of Chinese who have never seen a toilet flush. Even more shocking, there are large numbers of Chinese people who have no idea what a Disney character looks like. Are these people even human? And all of them speaking Chinese. Think about that. I don't know, it scares me.
Anyway, let's for the moment forget ridiculously unfair trade practices, a grotesquely undervalued currency, rampant intellectual piracy, total disregard for environmental well-being and the fact that all of China's top leaders look like reanimated caricatures from a wax museum. How the hell do they get away with it? I like to think of it as the ultimate great leap, the brilliant jump from rigid Communist dogma to 'Free' market Capitalism without having to worry about all the messy, emotional concepts which characterize democratic societies. The Chinese ruling class, bred on Mao, Marx and hostile takeovers, figured out rather quickly that the ability to buy cheap, consumer junk in WalMart, or it's Chinese equivalent, is, in fact, the essence of freedom. Who needs freedom of speech when shopping is readily available? Who needs elections (or erections, for that matter), when there are malls and an endless array of crap to buy on-line? In short, what the Chinese, always pragmatic, if nothing else, realized is that a controlled, productive, reasonably content work force has little, if anything, to do with human rights. How else to explain that the average, annual income in China is $400 and no one seems to complain about it. Do you want to express your opinion and risk prison, or do you want to go shopping? And hey, it's not like anyone living in a so-called free society ever has anything interesting to say. The words of Emperor Wang Po are as true today as they were when he reportedly said them, some 3000 years ago. 'Repression of the people works best when it's self-imposed.'
Needless to say, if Bush and his corporate cronies have their way, the USA will, in short order, become the next great, little province of Chinese mercenary market forces. Chinatown taken to the extreme.
I predict that in fifty years America will be a Chinese theme park, operated by Halliburton. What's left of the American work force will operate the concession stands. They will be strongly advised, though, in deference to residual democratic beliefs, not obligated to wear Dick Cheney masks on the job.
Welcome to the new world order.
In the meantime, good luck trying to find a pair of shoes not made in you-know-where.
Anyway, let's for the moment forget ridiculously unfair trade practices, a grotesquely undervalued currency, rampant intellectual piracy, total disregard for environmental well-being and the fact that all of China's top leaders look like reanimated caricatures from a wax museum. How the hell do they get away with it? I like to think of it as the ultimate great leap, the brilliant jump from rigid Communist dogma to 'Free' market Capitalism without having to worry about all the messy, emotional concepts which characterize democratic societies. The Chinese ruling class, bred on Mao, Marx and hostile takeovers, figured out rather quickly that the ability to buy cheap, consumer junk in WalMart, or it's Chinese equivalent, is, in fact, the essence of freedom. Who needs freedom of speech when shopping is readily available? Who needs elections (or erections, for that matter), when there are malls and an endless array of crap to buy on-line? In short, what the Chinese, always pragmatic, if nothing else, realized is that a controlled, productive, reasonably content work force has little, if anything, to do with human rights. How else to explain that the average, annual income in China is $400 and no one seems to complain about it. Do you want to express your opinion and risk prison, or do you want to go shopping? And hey, it's not like anyone living in a so-called free society ever has anything interesting to say. The words of Emperor Wang Po are as true today as they were when he reportedly said them, some 3000 years ago. 'Repression of the people works best when it's self-imposed.'
Needless to say, if Bush and his corporate cronies have their way, the USA will, in short order, become the next great, little province of Chinese mercenary market forces. Chinatown taken to the extreme.
I predict that in fifty years America will be a Chinese theme park, operated by Halliburton. What's left of the American work force will operate the concession stands. They will be strongly advised, though, in deference to residual democratic beliefs, not obligated to wear Dick Cheney masks on the job.
Welcome to the new world order.
In the meantime, good luck trying to find a pair of shoes not made in you-know-where.
posted by Bruce Leigh at 7:58 PM
2 Comments:
If your women could not charge innumerable pairs of Chinese-made shoes on their credit cards, they would have no way to counter the stress of living under so-called "advanced" capitalism. Automobiles are next. People will have forgotten vile names like Toyota and Honda by the 22nd Century. And eventually you round-eyed devils will all be hoodwinked into thinking that sweet-and-sour pork is authentic Chinese cuisine and that pouring soy sauce on your rice is natural.
Wal-Mart greeters of the world unite! You have nothing to lose.
Which is precisely why I make my own shoes....okay so maybe that's not true but the point remains that I would if I could.
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